I’m saddened to say I’m leaving IBM after more than 3 decades because all i get to do now is professionally fire people. Its sole function is to add to the unemployment dole. It cuts corners, makes exclusively garbage products no one wants, has a twitchy, weird, eye bulging, hare brained lunatic at the helm of “marketing” who is not a marketer at all, and yet the company can’t figure out why it can’t compete. So now more layoffs coming. I guess not much point in saying “more“ since this is all these garbage human beings know how to do, but they are certainly coming again in September. IBM MCC is being run by pathetic asinine defects who have no idea what they are doing because they are neither true marketers nor true communicators. JA is filth who has made a “career” out of nothing but surviving by making his equally despicable overlords happy by destroying lives and that’s literally all he’s good for. His sycophants are weak and pathetic and terrified and do whatever he says even when it makes zero sense. There is no strategy, no vision, and no path to the future that doesn’t end in the destruction of careers, lives, and families. I can’t be a party to it any further. I hope these filth get what they deserve, but i shan’t be here to find out.
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IBM is standing in its own way from being truly prosperous. Endless meetings where the organizer has no outcomes in mind. Too many people needed to handle simple tasks that an individual contributor can perform. Double and triple work. People who don’t really get the technology and take little time to learn about. The list goes on and on. It is deeply unfortunate, as all of things do hold us back from reclaiming our greatness and power in the world.
@a8 the racism at IBM is FROM the Indians. Software transformed their leadership overnight and quietly fired all the non-Indians they could. They left one white person who they couldn’t fire because of their knowledge of Z and the other I am sure is looking for another role since the writing is on the wall. Add to that there are only 300 US jobs open vs 2500 jobs in India and I’m comfortable saying that ARVIND’s plan is to turn an American Icon into an Indian chop shop.
MCC = Marketing, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
(Also noted here -- @ad+1jrdt004v )
Michelle P!!!!! The Marketing Maven. It was total BS being shoveled but at least she was high energy.
5 CMOs in 4 years has to be a world record:
Jonathan A back in the saddle as of June 2025
Clay C departed 2025 after 6 months
Jonathan A 2022 - 2024
Carla P departed 2022 after 11 months
Michelle P departed 2021
Who was the name of the guy that helped orchestra the 2024 layoffs, short, looked like he came out of the dilbert cartoon. Chris something if I recall correctly. That guy is another piece of work, blue boot li---r.
JA is probably one of the worst human beings on planet earth.
Total ego trip that lasted even after she left, giving interviews and such for a while. Now, nobody wants to hear from or about her. Eventually, people catch up... or so we hope...
@dn wasn't it Ginni who bought Softlayer and called it the next Ebay ? It spoke volumes about how much she knew about the company she was buying . She was a total freaking nutcase CEO disaster... but wasn't she on an ego trip ? That's IBM's DEI culture for you; and it continues to this day. And Ginni's HR sidekick loser Diane Gherson was another piece of work. HR Award for bullsh**ting. Where are they now ?
Ginni Rometty was part of IBM's marketing, and prior to becoming CEO ( Jan of 2012), her title was SVP and Group Executive for Sales, Marketing, and Strategy.
It's actually "ironic" that the decline of the IBM brand took place under the so called "leadership" of a CEO that came from "sales, marketing and strategy".
She took the top job and really "transformed" IBM. Let's see:
22 consecutive quarters of revenue decline and a drop in revenue from over $100 billion in 2011 to less than $60 billion in 2019, stock underperformed, Cloud market failure (and the raise of AWS and Azure instead), and so on.
The most notable achievement:
She did something really "special" (for herself), managed to receive significant bonuses and compensation packages while IBM's financial performance struggled.
AK learned really well from Gin(ni) and Tonic. Would he manage to stay for almost 9 years? "Give me more time, give me more time, I'm onto something big" he may have learned to BS from Gin(ni) and Tonic.
@c7 Is there a need for the MCC organization any more ? it can be broken up and the constituent parts should be outsourced, just like other functions inside IBM. JA (ja----s) is nothing but an incompetent, who has outlived his usefulness. If there are ZERO dollars coming in from MCC activities and it's spending more money, there is no reason to keep JA on board. Nor his pathetic sycophants. Is there a need to have Alvind or his Pipmunks on board ? AI can likely replace all of them and perhaps do a much better job. Use "Ask AI" instead of "Ask Alvind".
Marketing, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (MCC)?
Left due to RTO from MCC and was the best decision I ever made. The politics and sheer stress from MCC was tremendous. I wish all that stay good luck.
Now, if I only knew what MCC meant. I'm guessing Marketing, but what is CC?
There is no marketing in IBM for at least 2 decades. It's been from my own experience, a bunch of people filling out PPTs. The templates are already pre-created. From how the slide needs to look like to what needs to say. Same with white papers, etc.
Basically, no creativity, no strategy, just a repository with structured stuff that someone fills out and gets out the door.
As a recently discarded MCCer, I agree 100% with everything expressed in the post. IBM is relying solely on their reputation as a 20th century innovator --- innovating zip in the 21st century. ESL writers can't possibly create motivating words with their lack of understanding of the nuances of the language and their desperate desire to please their overlords, no matter the rationale. Sad. So sad. The heyday of IBM marketing creativity is done.
I am the OP. One thing further needs to be said: the racism and xenophobia must end. The problem is not India. It’s Armonk, One Madison, and to some extent the “streets” - in both London and NY. Indian employees are being terminated at the same rate and for the same lack of a reason as everyone else. The problem is the garbage human beings wielding power. Not the people trying to feed their families - where, or whomsoever, they may be.
@OP sorry to hear about your misfortune. Good luck in the future.
Under Alvind and the Pipmunks, IBM is the now classic example of GIGO - Garbage In, Garbage Out.
Alvind, Krabanaugh and Rob the Slob fill the company with their Indian Mafia cronies and the cr-p keeps coming out and hitting the fan. Corrupt executives reap what you sowed. So let's see some real heavy cuts delivered to CIO, F&O and Consulting happening by August 31. Hire contractors instead. Start a fire sale at Armonk too. Sell off the IBM executive travel jets if they are not already gone. Let Alvind, the Slob and Krapanaugh take the Greyhound bus to NYC. Cost cutting measures of course...
And the stock price keeps on dropping fast - Vindaloo in Alvind's Loo !
What does IBM Marketing even do these days? Other than those id--tic Watson commercials I can't even remember when I last saw an IBM ad. Most people, including potential buyers, have no idea what IBM even does any more.
Thank you for your honesty. It's nicer to see that there are still people with principles.